Follow Us!

Rushing Woman’s Syndrome? Indeed!

OK, I gotta admit I feel like a bit of a twit jogging along the street carrying a packet of crackers. But how else am I meant to find time to exercise than en route to pick my wee one up from kindergarten? Because from kindi, it’s then on to school and Mr just-turned-5 is famished at the end of the day and seems to require said snack in order to walk the ten minutes back home again. And while miss 7 is not so focussed on the snack, she’s more obsessive about whether or not I’ve lined up a play date and with who and starting when! I’m not sure which feels more dorky, the running with crackers thing or the pushing the empty stroller thing (after kindy drop off) or the walking home at the end of the day with my gaggle of children, random bags and my massive yellow stroller. Either way, it’s tricky fitting in all the things we want to do (enrich our children’s lives by sending them to some form of childcare, giving ourselves a bit of time to either work or do the grocery shopping/laundry etc in peace, do a fitness class now and then…

Forget the ‘silly season’ this busy-ness is everyday life to us mamas! A friend recently loaned me a copy of the book Rushing Woman’s Syndrome by Dr. Libby Weaver. I actually sat down (how novel) in the sun that same day and read the first chapter. The checklist of symptoms read like a personality profile for me. Has a never ending to-do list? tick, feels tired but wired? tick, finds it difficult to relax without wine? tick, sleeps too little? tick… and the list goes on! OK so fortunately I did not tick all of the boxes (I don’t have problems with periods or bloating etc) but it was enough to make me smile -albeit a bit of a sad smile.

Can anyone else out there relate or admit to being a ‘rushing woman’?

I do catch myself now and then however. I’ll be holding my two year old’s hand and then I’ll consciously notice how small it is and how adorable he’s being. Instead of urging him to hurry up home (so I can hang out yet another load of laundry) I remind myself what it’s all about. Do you have moments like these? Moments when you remember the importance of cherishing the present instead of constantly aspiring to GTD ‘Get Things Done’. If you haven’t read it, check out my blog & podcast all about the Domestic Grind. It’s just not healthy for us mum’s to put so much pressure on ourselves to do it all and to be all things to all people! Not good for our hormones, thyroid or family. I look forward to working my way through the rest of the book and also to go into the New Year with the intention of being present more and doing less things but doing them really well. Both personally and also with my business Go to Girl Social Media & Networking.

So are you a ‘rushing woman’? What are you going to focus on in the New Year or what is your ‘new you’ going to look like? And as Libby Weaver would say, what are you going to keep, stop and start doing?

Raised in Toronto Canada, Nat received the 'enthusiasm award' in Grade 7 and not much has changed. She has always loved bringing people together and challenging them to be more than they thought possible. Her background includes Personal Development, Corporate Team Building and Environmental Education. She now lives in Auckland New Zealand with her husband Matt (Nat & Matt) and their 3 children Ruby, Jonah and Xavier.
Nat's excited to be blogging again (previously blogged for 'Eco Centric') and sharing parenting and relationship stories with others around the world.